Is That So, Xiao Bai?

Natsu, who had been listening to all of this, finally took action.

The playful smile on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by an intense seriousness.

"Boom!"

Natsu whirled around and slammed a flaming punch into the quest board behind him.

The task board, made of thick wooden planks, shattered with a crack, sending wood chips flying and countless task sheets scattering like snowflakes.

Without uttering a word or even glancing at anyone, he led Happy straight out of the guild gate.

That resolute figure seemed to be telling a story of silent anger and determination.

"What's wrong with Natsu?" Lucy asked, looking at the shattered quest board and Natsu's departing figure, somewhat puzzled.

"Natsu... he must have been thinking of himself."

Mirajane's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible sadness as she gazed at Natsu's retreating figure, her eyes somewhat unfocused. "Most of us Fairy Tail members carry some kind of burden, more or less."

Jiang Bai sensed the change in her emotions, and he reached out and gently took Mirajane's hand.

The warmth from her palm startled Mirajane slightly. She snapped back to reality, gripping Jiang Bai's hand firmly in return. A smile returned to her gentle eyes, as if to say, "I'm alright."

She took a deep breath and continued explaining to the still confused Lucy, "Natsu is the same as Romeo."

"Hmm?" Lucy blinked.

"Natsu's father also left when he was very young, and then never came back."

Mirajane spoke softly, as if recounting a distant fairy tale, "Although he's called my father, he's actually my adoptive father, and... he's a dragon."

"Dragon?!"

Lucy's voice rose instantly, she covered her mouth in shock, her large, bright eyes filled with disbelief, "You... you mean... Natsu was raised by a dragon?"

"Yes." Mirajane nodded. "When Natsu was little, a Fire Dragon Igneel found him."

"Natsu's language, culture, and even the Dragon Slayer Magic he uses now were all taught to him by that dragon."

"But one day, Igneel suddenly disappeared from Natsu's world and never appeared again."

"I see..."

Lucy finally understood, and she murmured to herself, "That's Igneel, the Natsu has been searching for."

"Natsu has always believed that he will meet Igneel again, and he keeps striving to become stronger for that purpose."

Mirajane glanced towards the doorway, a gentle smile curving her lips. "Isn't that quite adorable?"

On the other side, Jiang Bai walked over to Makarov, who was still drinking alone in silence, and plopped down next to him.

"Old man, you really aren't being frank."

Jiang Bai spoke lazily, his tone full of teasing, "You deliberately spoke so loudly just now, wasn't it just to get Natsu to go over there?"

"Why not just tell him directly? Why beat around the bush like this?"

"You care too much."

Makarov sighed heavily, like an old child whose secret had been exposed, his face full of helplessness.

"You're right... Jiang Bai, why don't you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Bai immediately waved his hand to interrupt him.

"There's no need for that." Jiang Bai refused without even thinking. "Natsu can handle this kind of small matter by himself. It'll be a good opportunity for him to practice."

After speaking, Jiang Bai turned his head and his gaze fell on Lucy was still chatting with Mirajane.

An interesting idea flashed through his mind.

"Lucy," he called out, "You should go too."

"Huh? Why?" Lucy pointed to herself, looking completely bewildered.

"Because Natsu is such a stubborn kid, I'm afraid he'll get lost and wander off into the mountains."

Jiang Bai casually made up an excuse, "Go help him. Don't worry, your safety is guaranteed."

After saying that, he thought about Natsu's previous record of destruction, which could only be described as catastrophic, and silently added a sentence in his mind.

Probably.

Lucy was already somewhat worried, and after hearing Romeo's story, she felt even more heartbroken. Now, with Jiang Bai's assurance as the "strongest," her concerns completely disappeared.

"Okay! Leave it to me!"

She readily agreed, waved to Jiang Bai and Mirajane, and ran off in Natsu's direction.

Watching Lucy's departing figure, Makarov, holding his wine glass, looked Jiang Bai up and down with a suspicious gaze.

"You brat, I've never seen you care about anyone like this before, even proactively assigning them tasks."

The old man's gossip-loving spirit was burning brightly. "You wouldn't... have feelings for that blonde girl, would you?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

A chilling, bone-chilling killing intent instantly emanated from behind Jiang Bai.

The temperature in the entire guild hall seemed to drop several degrees.

Even Elfman, who was arm wrestling with someone nearby about the topic of "manliness," couldn't help but shiver and felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

He turned around stiffly and saw his sister, with her signature sweet and impeccable smile on her face, walking silently behind Jiang Bai step by step.

"Really? Xiao Bai."

Mirajane's voice was so gentle it could melt hearts, but a dangerous glint shone in her beautiful purple eyes.

"That's definitely not it!"

Jiang Bai's survival instinct kicked in instantly, and he denied it without even thinking.

Then, in a serious tone, he said, "I just think Lucy and Natsu, those two idiots, are a good match, and I wanted to have them team up so they could look after each other in the future!"

After saying that, he suddenly stood up from his chair, turned to face Mirajane, and his face instantly switched to a deeply affectionate expression.

He grasped Mirajane's hands and spoke sincerely in an irresistibly sweet tone.

"My heart has always belonged only to you and Erza."

"My princess."

Mirajane's "kind" smile froze slightly, and then a barely perceptible blush crept onto her cheeks.

She snorted and turned her head away with a touch of arrogance, but she didn't loosen her grip on Jiang Bai's hand.

"Hmph, that's more like it. Although Erza and I have already agreed, we'll still have to see how you perform afterwards."

"Yes, sir!"

Jiang Bai pulled Mirajane over and made her sit comfortably on the chair next to him.

He stood behind her and skillfully massaged her shoulders, applying just the right amount of pressure.

Makarov watched as Jiang Bai smoothly and effortlessly resolved a "family crisis," and couldn't help but snort coldly, turning his head to the side while muttering to himself.

You little rascal, you explained it quickly.

Elfman, on the other hand, looked at his sister, who had been so easily coaxed into submission by her brother-in-law, with an expression of adoration. His respect for Jiang Bai rose to a new level.

He truly lives up to his brother-in-law reputation! That's a real man!